In his inaugural welcoming statement Tozaka said “at this juncture let me call on all of us (MSG leaders or country’s) to continue to work together in solidarity to make our sub-regional group, the MSG in the Pacific remain relevant.

“Our grouping and its works manifests a project where we serve promote issues of interests to our peoples but also pragmatically address stepping stone issues to regional economic integration.

“Together we can confront challenges and issues that we individually face in our own sovereign jurisdictions through bilateral cooperation and sharing of models of good practice, and likewise, we can also work together as a combined force to address and meet those challenges, some of which are global and which transcend national borders,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tozaka revealed that “an issue discussed by Senior Officials last week and which will be before us to consider are the applications for different categories of membership to the MSG.

“I note there is great interest in our countries, the region on this issue.

“However, as all of you know, according to the Establishment Agreement of the MSG, decisions are based on consensus.

“This means nothing is agreed unless everyone agrees. To this end, I hope that when we discuss this issue, we will be guided by wisdom and that whatever recommendation we submit to our Leaders for their ultimate decision is one that is balanced and sound.

“The world will be watching and our people will be listening and watching with a lot of anticipation,” he said.